A Nanaimo woman took the term 鈥榢nock yourself out鈥� literally when she entered 鈥� and won 鈥� a cheese-chase race during her trip to Europe.
Delaney Irving, 19, had been travelling with a friend and they decided they鈥檇 go watch a cheese-rolling race near Gloucester, England, that annually draws hundreds of people to watch and compete.
The event on Cooper鈥檚 Hill 鈥� a near-vertical slope where competitors run, stumble and tumble down as they try to catch a three-kilogram wheel of double Gloucester cheese 鈥� was held Monday, May 29.
鈥淲e decided that we should go watch the race, so we headed over to England for that reason,鈥� said Irving, in an e-mail interview. 鈥淲e only decided about a day or two before the race that we would compete in it. I heard about the race a few years ago when my dad showed me a video of it. I never thought I鈥檇 be competing in it but here we are.鈥�
There were about two dozen cheese chasers in the women鈥檚 division.
鈥淎s soon as the cheese was pushed down the hill, we were off,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y strategy was to just roll as soon as I felt myself falling and I ended up rolling down most of the hill. At the very end of the hill I got back up onto my feet, but soon after fell on my head and rolled across the finish line unconscious.鈥�
She was unconscious for about two minutes and was taken to a medical tent where she came to and started to piece together what had happened and that she had won the race. She later went to a hospital for a precautionary CT scan, which showed everything was OK.
鈥淢y body is pretty bruised and achy, but other than that I鈥檓 good,鈥� Irving said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very lucky that I didn鈥檛 hurt my head too badly.鈥�
And the reward for going through her ordeal?
鈥淭he prize was the seven-pound cheese and a scarf 鈥� and bragging rights,鈥� Irving said.
She flies back to Canada this week, when she will find out if she can bring the cheese wheel home in her carry-on bag, but she thinks she鈥檒l have to check it in with her luggage and she already has plans for the cheese when she gets back to Nanaimo.
鈥淥nce I get back I鈥檒l have some friends and family over and we鈥檒l have the ultimate charcuterie board,鈥� she said.
Irving said she鈥檇 like to return, one day, to Cooper鈥檚 Hill, but not necessarily as a competitor.
鈥淚 would definitely go back to watch again鈥︹�� she said. 鈥淏ut now that I鈥檝e done it and won it, I鈥檓 not in a huge rush to fling myself down a hill again,鈥� she said.
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